Raila Odinga, then the leader of the National Super Alliance (Nasa), visited the United States a month after the October 2017 repeat presidential election chaos.
Among those he met was Congressman Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, who called for dialogue between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Mr Odinga to end the election impasse.
Three months later, on March 9, 2018, President Kenyatta and Mr Odinga exchanged a surprise handshake on the steps of the President’s office in Nairobi, bringing an end to an era marked by political animosity and unrest.
Senator Coons arrived in Kenya in March 2023, just a day before Azimio’s second phase of public unrest began.
After meeting with President Ruto, DP Rigathi Gachagua, and Raila Odinga, Ruto invited Raila to Bipartisan talks, effectively ending Maandamano.
However, the talks collapsed, and Coons has returned to the country, just in time for the Bomas Bilateral talks in Nairobi on Monday, August 14th.
According to official figures, at least 20 people have died in the opposition-led protests, though rights activists believe the toll is much much higher.
The Kenya Kwanza coalition listed the re-constitution of the IEBC, the implementation of the two-thirds gender rule in parliament, the inclusion of the CDF in the Constitution, the establishment of the office of the leader of the opposition, and the legalization of the office of the prime cabinet secretary as issues to be discussed.
The Azimio coalition, on the other hand, kept its first agenda in the talks as cost of living reduction, followed by audit of the 2022 elections, bipartisan reconstitution of the IEBC, inclusion in national affairs, and respect for political parties.
The Azimio dialogue team is led by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, who will be joined by his DAP-Kenya counterpart Eugine Wamalwa, Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi, Nyamira Senator Okongo Omogeni, and Malindi MP Amina Mnyazi.
National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa will lead the Kenya Kwanza delegation, which will also include Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot, Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire, EALA MP Hassan Omar, and Bungoma Woman Rep Catherine Wambilianga.
Senator Coons, a lawyer by profession, has been the Senator of Delaware since 2010. He is a close personal friend of US President Joe Biden, and they both hail from Delaware.
Coons has a reputation for finding bipartisan solutions to many issues confronting Delawareans and others.
Will he broker another Handshake Deal for Kenya?
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